Monday, September 24, 2012

DIY: Garden Label Sticks

Okay, this post might not be too relevant in our part of the world as it's autumn now; but for those of you who are still busy in the garden, you might want to try this: your very own garden label sticks.

This idea came to mind because we cut down some trees; we separated the bigger branches and the smaller ones which we plan to use for our grill. And while doing that sorting, my girls, who got bored, started carving into some branches. And the garden labels sticks were born :-)

Materials needed to create your own garden label sticks:

The garden labels made from tree branches

Materials needed to create your own garden label sticks:

- enough branches as needed

- a knife

- paint brushes

- a pair of pruning shears

- paints (we used watercolors, which lasted the whole summer despite the rain)

1. Choose your branches and cut them according to your preferred size using a pair of pruning shears. It is best to use the smooth ones.

2. Get a pair of knife and start carving carefully. We have planted a variety of herbs and spices in our backyard, and I already have a rough map; therefore a list of names to start with.

the first garden stick is done!

3. After carving the names, let them dry (Remember, the branches are from freshly cut trees!) before painting on the carved letters. As I have already said, we used watercolors because this was a spontaneous activity; if we had time to plan it, we would have used a different paint so that the color would stay longer.

Our homemade garden stick labels

4. After painting on the letters, let them dry.

When they are dry and ready, it's time to create a space for them in your garden. In our case, we used them for our herbs and spices corner.

Our herbs and spices garden corner

Now, my husband cannot resist topping those sticks with the empty seed packs. He said he has been doing that for years and he cannot stop now. Although he said that those garden sticks look better :-)